Gaethje claims interim LW title, vaults to #1

The UFC's first official rankings update of 2026 followed UFC 324, with Justin Gaethje claiming the interim lightweight title via unanimous decision over Paddy Pimblett, vaulting to #1 contender behind champion Ilia Topuria. Gaethje displaced Arman Tsarukyan to #2, while Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway dropped to #3 and #4; they rematch at UFC 326 for the BMF title. In heavyweight, Waldo Cortes-Acosta held #5 despite beating Derrick Lewis, who fell to #10 as Marcin Tybura rose to #8. Bantamweight saw Umar Nurmagomedov stay #2 after defeating Deiveson Figueiredo, now #7, and Jean Silva jump four spots to featherweight #3 after beating Arnold Allen. This reshuffles title paths, setting Gaethje vs Topuria and impacts contention in multiple divisions.